Early December Happenings

 

Okay, so maybe that was actually in November, but I actually cooked my turkey carcass from Thanksgiving and made 24 cups of turkey stock! Bonus: I have used it and we actually like it!

My dad & I worked on our windows and on a lighted star that I decided I wanted needed for the outside Christmas décor of our house. Our first attempt (above) was a major FAIL! I think my dad didn’t sleep that night because the next morning he showed up at my house before church with this beauty:

And it looked great in the peak above our garage!

One of our windows we sold this Christmas…and one of my favorites. I LOVE how these turned out. I sold two of them on Facebook.

A sunny but cold brisk walk during Thanksgiving break!

Sarah took some shots of Becca, our natural model, on this walk…

Sarah is such a natural behind the camera. I love looking at her pictures!

Had a fun dinner out with my BFF’s. Minus 1 who deserted us and went to Hawaii with her husband. Imagine that! Ah well, this week we begin a new monthly tradition of dinner together on the 2nd Wednesday of the month. For the past 7 years, we have met at each other’s homes twice a month during the school day. We scrapbook, pay bills, work on Christmas gifts, quilt, cry, laugh, pray, talk, and generally just BE together. It has been a gift from God that we could develop our friendships that way and be there for each other. And now that we are all starting to work more and more…those days are over. So now we are being intentional about keeping these friendships strong by having dinner once a month. It’s a new season of life, but we will keep being there for each other. I love them like sisters. We’re kind of like the women on the movie Steel Magnolias only with less drama and mascara.

My Christmas porch. It makes me happy.

This also made me happy. The annual XC Dessert Social, where Coach hands out “Toaster Trophies” (made out of a pop-tart and a block of wood) and talks about each kid and their contributions and leadership and calmness or what have you. The parents come, we eat tons of treats (because the kids usually deprive themselves of excessive treats during the season), we look at pictures and videos and highlights of the season, and have a lot of fun together. Coach is amazing…I have so much respect for the way he quietly leads these kids and the way he lets them know how it’s going to be without them knowing it. And those two girls in that picture up there? Co-captains for next year. Can’t wait!